Having raced Whitemud 5 Peaks a few weeks ago, my focus shifted to building up the miles again, this time in preparation for the Backyard Ultra at the end of July. Even though I had covered 100 miles at Survivorfest 24 hour, I was lacking in confidence about whether I had actually completed enough miles to do myself justice at the BYU. My weekly mileage had been pretty low when compared to my previous attempt, and I was concerned that I just wouldn't have the strength of body or mind to get to 36 hours like I did last time. It didn't help that I had to skip competing at Rundles Revenge 50k this year - Andy was working out in South Korea and I had nobody to dog sit for me whilst I raced again, so I ended up heading to Banff for a weekend of camping with the pups, but with no real running or hiking to get build up the miles.
It was Canada Day weekend the following week, so having spoken to coach Paul, we agreed that I would do 3 consecutive days of back to back long runs in the hope of building some confidence leading into BYU. Paul made things even more interesting though, giving me three days not only of back to back long runs, but also back to back double run days, where the cumulative mileage would be 120km, or 75 miles over the weekend.
I actually had a great week of running, and was pleasantly surprised that I exceeded the weekly mileage goal, totalling out at something like 105 miles or 170km for the week - mileage I never do unless I'm competing in a race.
On the Friday, I had 20km to do, followed by 10k later on in the day. The weather was really nice if a little humid, and I had a great run to celebrate Canada Day, followed by a decent run later in the evening. Feeling good, i was looking forward to running with my friend Julie the following day in Edmonton - she had chosen the route and would be cycling alongside me whilst I ran,
I actually had another great 30k run with Julie on the Saturday morning, despite the cooler temperatures and the persistent rain. It took me a good couple of hours and both of us were sopping wet, and yet my overall average pace had been fairly consistent and I was very happy with how things had gone, The extra 10k later than same day was tough - my legs were starting to feel the miles, and even though the rain had now stopped, conditions were very humid, whilst the sun had finally broken though the clouds making it feel even warmer. It was definitely a shuffle that evening, but I made myself run non-stop regardless of my pace, and I was happy to finished having ran the entire distance - another 40km in the bank.
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| Multiple Run Days - enjoying a breather! |
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| 30km in the pouring rain! |
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| 100km over a hot summer weekend - phew! |
Sunday was going to be the toughest day as my legs were now starting to feel the extra mileage and the faster than planned pace, but I set off that morning with full intentions of completing 5 x 8km loops of the local lake, using my car as an aid station and forcing myself to run every single step non-stop until I was back at the car, where I allowed myself to refuel and grab a drink.
Yet again, my lap times were very consistent which surprised me, especially as my legs felt like they were seizing up. Add to that the heat of the day, the sunburn, and the crusty salt that was building up on my skin from all the sweat, it really was a hard slog our there! The last 5km were when I really struggled and having decided not to do another loop of the lake but rather an out and back instead to break up the monotony, I ended up stopping for just a couple of minutes. That was when the fatigue really did hit me, and I became acutely aware of the amount of miles I was trying to cram in. But I still logged the 40km (25 miles or so), and after some food, a quick shower and a walk with the pups, I headed out for a second time that day, to complete mu final run of the weekend.
That 10k hurt. I was still quite dehydrated from my earlier run, and I didn't feel like I had refuelled properly. But one again, I kept things going and did not stop, finishing the run pretty tired and in desperate need of a massage to get rid of all the crap that was no doubt building up in my muscles!
The 100+ miles week certainly took it's toll on me, and teh following week, I ended up skipping some of my longer runs. My energy levels were low, the constant hot weather was dragging me down, and being short staffed at work meant things were extremely hectic and I wasn't getting the chance to relax. In addition, I was still home alone - I needed some down time and a bit of a rest! I ended up heading to Terwillegar dog park with the pups for a couple of hours walking at a gentle pace, and it made such a huge difference to how I felt physically.
The higher mileage continued, and in mid-July, I took part in the third of the 5 Peaks trail races, this time at Goldbar Park.
It was going to be another hot day with temperatures expected to hit the mid 20's by the time the race started at 10am, so I was sure to stay in the shade whilst waiting, and I consciously drank a good litre or so of Skratch to ensure I was properly hydrated.
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| Goldbar 5 Peaks race just before the start, and already toasty! |
This race was two laps, and I started the first lap cautiously, careful not to go off too quick and overheat. Running alongside the river beneath the trees wasn't too bad, but when hitting the single track, the heat became oppressive which I really did notice, and I started to sweat much more heavily. I was still feeling really good though, and I started to overtake some of the other runners that had started off a little too quickly and were now paying the price for their earlier efforts. I was really enjoying the run, and as we came down the final hill towards the start of our second lap, I was ready to start pushing it a little more to see if I could start moving up through the field.
As we came into the transition area, the marshals directed us towards the finish. Confused, I said that I was running the Enduro and needed to go the other way, but was told there had been a medical emergency and we were all being directed to the finish to end our race.
The way everybody just did as instructed was amazing, and the volunteers and the race directors did a really good job in handling the situation. Sadly, a well known gentleman from the local running community had collapsed out on the course, and later that day he passed away. On the day, none of us really knew what had happened, and respectfully accepted there would be no awards ceremony and folks were asked to leave. In hindsight when we all later heard what had happened, things had been handled perfectly, and it was extremely emotional hearing how the other racers had stepped in to help out when the emergency occurred, whilst others were respectful enough to give them space and continued onwards to raise the alarm.
That day really put things into perspective in that we really do need to live for the day, and continue to do the things we enjoy doing. The passing of this gentleman was sudden and it hit the running community hard, but it also brought us all closer together and made us even more aware of each other and more proactive in making sure we were all ok. It changed the mood of the next few races I did, and it was definitely reassuring to know that we all have each other's backs.
Following the race at Goldbar, my high mileage training continued for another couple of weeks and before I knew it, the big one was upon me, and I was ready to compete in my next Back Yard Ultra, this time in Okotoks where I had high hopes of going long. Things didn't quite go to plan, but I guess you can read all about it in my next post :)
